Ethical Hotel Etiquette in 2025: The Do's and Don'ts for Your Guyana Stay

As a millennial running a business in the hospitality industry, I've witnessed both the admirable and the questionable aspects of customer behavior.

At family gatherings, there's typically that relative who boasts about securing deep discounts or free upgrades from businesses. Growing up, these stories seemed harmless, even impressive. However, now operating on the business side, I've gained perspective on how these "clever tactics" impact hotels in Guyana and restaurants striving to deliver quality service.

The Evolution of the Discount Game

Previously, seeking discounts involved legitimate opportunities – using coupons, price-matching, or perhaps knowing the owner of your favorite restaurant. But in 2025, it has transformed into a calculated approach where some guests intentionally disregard policies or create issues solely to leverage discounts.

At GCH, we've observed this pattern increasing. Some visitors arrive primarily to find something to complain about, knowing that hotels and restaurants in Guyana rely heavily on positive reviews and word-of-mouth referrals to maintain competitiveness.

Do's and Don'ts for the Ethical Hotel Guest

1. DON'T Play Dumb About Policies

Grand Coastal, and most other established hotels, display their policies prominently – on websites, social media, at check-in, behind doors, and on table cards. Claiming ignorance about a policy when it affects you negatively isn't reasonable. Threatening a negative review because you didn't read what you agreed to reflects poorly on you as a guest.

2. DO Understand Room Availability Constraints

We are a boutique hotel with limited space – just 43 bedrooms. When requesting early check-in or late check-out, understand that we can only guarantee this on arrival day based on availability. If someone is occupying your room the night before, we simply cannot accommodate an early morning check-in regardless of insistence.

3. DON'T Be Unreasonable About Cancellation Policies

Consider hotel rooms similar to airline seats – once the time has passed, we cannot sell that night again. While major tourist destinations might offer flexible cancellation, smaller hotels in Guyana like Grand Coastal need protection against last-minute cancellations. Our 48-hour window provides us an opportunity to resell that room and maintain financial viability.

4. DO Be Honest About Your Complaints

At Grand Coastal Hotel, we maintain transparency about our challenges. As a 25-year legacy hotel on Guyana's East Coast, we've witnessed the area transform from a quiet suburb to a busy four-lane highway with significant traffic. We're actively implementing soundproofing, installing carpeting, adding white noise machines, and have relocated our kitchen to enhance guest experience.

What's inappropriate is falsifying complaints or repeatedly using known issues merely to secure discounts on multiple stays. If certain aspects "bother" you but you continue returning to our hotel, your motives become questionable.

5. DON'T Make False Accusations

This is particularly concerning. We've had guests accuse our housekeeping staff of theft, only for our investigations to reveal they misplaced their items. Some create scenes at the front desk, embarrassing our staff, then quietly apologize days later after finding their belongings in their luggage. Consider the implications before making accusations.

6. DO Respect Occupancy Rules

Booking a room at Grand Coastal Hotel for two people and arriving with four, then complaining about inadequate space is unreasonable. Boutique hotels in Guyana have spatial limitations, and exceeding capacity creates discomfort for everyone involved.

7. DON'T Smoke in Non-Smoking Rooms

Despite clear signage and smoke detectors, some guests still smoke in our rooms, occasionally tampering with detectors. This damages our property, diminishes the experience for future guests, and incurs costs for deep cleaning. Grand Coastal Hotel provides a designated smoking area – we ask that you utilize it.

8. DO Provide Your ID and Payment Details

This represents basic security for everyone's protection. Your ID confirms your identity as the booking party, verifies your payment method, helps our staff recognize you as a guest, and protects all hotel guests from potential security concerns. At Grand Coastal Hotel, we require ID primarily for payment verification and when charging incidentals to your room – preventing fraud and protecting both parties.

The Bottom Line for Dining and Staying in Guyana

The hospitality industry in Guyana is experiencing renewal after COVID, with hotels and restaurants gradually regaining stability. At Grand Coastal Hotel, we continuously invest in improvements to enhance your experience.

Interestingly, guests who adhere to policies, communicate respectfully, and demonstrate understanding often receive more perks and discounts than those attempting to manipulate the system. Our staff at Grand Coastal Hotel remembers and appreciates ethical guests, and we're more inclined to offer complimentary upgrades or late check-outs to those who've been courteous throughout their stay.

When booking a hotel in Guyana or planning to dine at a restaurant in Georgetown, remember that ethical travel isn't merely about principles – it genuinely proves beneficial long-term. This approach creates a better experience for everyone involved.